Israel/Palestine

Al-Jazeera reports that on Monday, Israeli forces attacked a flotilla of ships carrying medical supplies and other humanitarian aid items intended for Gaza. The flotilla was attempting to break the three-year blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel.

Pride Toronto has promised Toronto's City Council that it will censor anti-Israel groups at Pride events this year. The group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid is being specifically targetted, and the Pride Committee told the city that it will weed out their messaging during the application phase or on the day of the parade.

Infoshop News is reporting that on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces designated the villages of Bil'in and Na'alin as closed military areas every Friday until mid-August, in an attempt to halt the weekly demonstrations against the separation fence in those West Bank villages. On Sunday night dozens of troops entered the villages and plastered storefronts and home windows with notices announcing the closure order.

Al-Jazeera reports that

A group of Israeli military officers have delayed an official visit to Britain over fears they could be arrested on war crimes charges.

After 35 years of federal funding, International Cooperation MInister Bev Oda cut funding to to faith based organization KAIROS .  KAIROS is a coalition of Canadian churches that works to promote human rights and ecological justice. 

Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, speaking two weeks ago in Jerusalem, said that the agency was dropped because of anti-Semitic views.

Yesterday, protest leaders stranded in Cairo accepted an Egyptian offer on Tuesday to allow 100 out of about 1,300 protesters into blockaded Gaza after the activists staged demonstrations and a hunger strike.

This week marks one year since Israel began its attack on the Gaza Strip. Gaza residents were subjected to three weeks of violence, during which the Israeli military systematically targeted civilian areas, partially destroying dozens of schools, including several run by the UN, where civilians were taking shelter.

This assault left over 1,440 Palestinians dead, predominantly civilians, of whom 431 were children.